By SCOTT MCKIE B.P.
One Feather Asst. Editor
The One Feather will now provide weekly legislative updates on various pieces of federal legislation of interest to members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. The bills are shown in the order in which they were introduced following the new bills for the week.
New this Week
H.R. 4276 (To amend the Native American Tourism and Improving Visitor Experience Act). The text of this bill is not currently available online. According to congress.gov, this bill amends the Native American Tourism and Improving Visitor Experience Act “to authorize grants to Indian tribes, tribal organizations, and Native Hawaiian organizations”.
Introduced: July 2, 2025 by Rep. Ed Case (D-Hawai’i)
Action: This bill was referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources on July 2, 2025. There are no scheduled hearings in that Committee for this bill as of press time.
S. 2211 (A bill to reauthorize the Special Diabetes Program for Type 1 Diabetes and the Special Diabetes Program for Indians). The text of this bill is not currently available online. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), “The Special Statutory Funding Program for Type 1 Diabetes Research, or Special Diabetes Program, is a special funding program for research on the prevention and cure of type 1 diabetes that began in FY 1998. NIDDK administers the Special Diabetes Program on behalf of the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, in collaboration with multiple NIH Institutes and Centers and the CDC, and with input from the Diabetes Mellitus Interagency Coordinating Committee. The Special Diabetes Program has enabled the creation of unique, innovative, and collaborative research consortia and clinical trials networks focused on the prevention, treatment, and cure of type 1 diabetes.”
On the funding history of the Special Diabetes Program, information from NIH states, “The Special Diabetes Program supplements regularly appropriated funds that the NIH receives for diabetes research. Special Diabetes Program funding in total has been $3.55 billion over 27 years. It began with $30 million per year in FY 1998-2000, increased to $100 million per year in FY 2001-2003, and has remained at $150 million per year since FY 2004, except in years when the funding was reduced through automatic spending cuts (sequestration). Each law for the Program sets an end date, so the Program is limited in time and requires renewal (reauthorization) in law to continue.”
Introduced: July 8, 2025 by Sen. Susan M. Collins (R-Maine)
Action: This will was referred to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions on July 8, 2025. There are no scheduled hearings in that Committee for this bill as of press time.
Bills we’re currently watching
H.R. 226 (Eastern Band of Cherokee Historic Lands Reacquisition Act. This House bill would place 76 acres of land in eastern Tennessee into trust for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. Included in that land are the Sequoyah Birthplace Museum, the Chota Memorial, and the Tanasi Memorial sites.
Introduced: Jan. 7 by Rep. Charles J. “Chuck” Fleischmann (R-Tenn.)
Action: This bill was passed in the House by a voice vote on Feb. 4. It was received in the Senate the next day and has been referred to the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. There are no scheduled hearings in that Committee for this bill as of press time.
S.107 (Lumbee Fairness Act). This Senate bill would grant federal acknowledgement to the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, a state-recognized group.
Introduced: Jan. 16 by Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.)
Action: The bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. There is not a scheduled hearing in that Committee for this bill as of press time.
H.R. 474 (Lumbee Fairness Act). This House bill would grant federal acknowledgment to the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, a state-recognized group. This bill is identical to S. 107.
Introduced: Jan. 16 by Rep. David Rouzer (R-N.C.)
Action: This bill was referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources. There is not a scheduled hearing in that Committee for this bill as of press time.
S.761 (Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies Act). This Senate bill would establish the Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies. According to Congress.gov, “Among other duties, the Commission must investigate the impacts and ongoing effects of the Indian Boarding School Policies – federal policies under which American Indian, Alaskan Native, and Native Hawaiian children were forcibly removed from their family homes and placed in boarding schools.”
Introduced: Feb. 26 by Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska)
Action: This bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. It was “ordered to be reported without amendment favorably” by the Committee on March 5. No further action has been taken on this bill.
H.R. 2412 (Indigenous Diplomacy and Engagement Act). This House bill would establish an Office for Indigenous Affairs and an Advisory Commission for Indigenous Peoples within the Department of State.
Introduced: March 27 by Rep. Ed Case (D-Hawai’i)
Action: This bill was referred to both the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and the House Committee on Natural Resources. There are no scheduled hearings in either Committee for this bill as of press time.
H.R. 2929. (Haliwa-Saponi Indian Tribe recognition bill). This House bill would grant federal acknowledgement to the Haliwa-Saponi Indian Tribe of North Carolina, a state-recognized group.
Introduced: April 17 by Rep. Donald G. Davis (D-N.C.)
Action: This bill was referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources. There is not a scheduled hearing in that Committee for this bill as of press time.
H.R. 3255. (Grand River Bands of Ottawa Indians Restoration Act of 2025). This House bill will would grant federal acknowledgment to the Grand River Bands of Ottawa Indians, a state-recognized group in Michigan.
Introduced: May 7 by Rep. Hillar J. Scholten (D-Mich.)
Action: This bill was referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources. There is not a scheduled hearing in that Committee for this bill as of press time.
H.R. 3444. (Tribal Self-Determination and Co-Management in Forestry Act of 2025). According to the bill text, this House bill is “To direct Federal land management agencies of the Department of the Interior to establish Tribal Co-Management Plans and to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to enter into agreements with Indian Tribes and Tribal organizations for the performance of certain activities of the Forest Service, and for other purposes.”
Introduced: May 15 by Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.)
Action: This bill was referred to both the House Committee on Natural Resources and the House Committee on Agriculture. It was referred to the House Subcommittee on Federal Lands on June 3, and a hearing was held in that subcommittee on June 10.
S.2022 (Tribal Tax and Investment Reform Act of 2025). This Senate bill, according to the legislation, would “amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to treat Indian Tribal governments in the same manner as state governments for certain federal tax purposes, and for other purposes”.
Introduced: June 11 by U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska)
Action: The bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Finance. There is not a scheduled hearing in that Committee for this bill as of press time.
H.R. 3956 (Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations Act of 2025). This bill would amend the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 “to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to enter into self-determination contracts and self-governance agreements with Indian entities to administer the food distribution program on Indian reservations”.
Introduced: June 12, 2025 by Rep. Sharice Davids (D-Kan.) and Rep. Frank Lucas (R-Okla.)
Action: This bill was referred to the House Committee on Agriculture. There are no scheduled hearings in that Committee for this bill as of press time.
S. 2160 (A bill to reaffirm and clarify the federal relationships of the Grand River Bands of Ottawa Indians of Michigan as a federally recognized Indian Tribe).This Senate seeks the same as H.R. 3255 (Grand River Bands of Ottawa Indians Restoration Act of 2025.
Introduced: June 25, 2025 by Sen. Gary C. Peters (D-Mich.)
Action: The bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. There is not a scheduled hearing in that Committee for this bill as of press time.
Here is the contact information for your federal legislators:
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.): https://www.tillis.senate.gov/email-me
Sen. Tedd Budd (R-N.C.): https://www.budd.senate.gov/contact/
11th District Congressional Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-N.C.): https://edwards.house.gov/contact
